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CFD - Post
What you will learn:

• Creating plane, line, vector and contour plots.

• Skin friction, pressure drop along pipe.

• Importing analytical velocity profile.

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Launching CFD Post
• You can also launch CFD Post by clicking the icon as shown in pic below:

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Creating plane at center of pipe
• Create plane at center of pipe by either selecting YZ or XZ plan.
• Enter X = 0 for YZ plane and Y = 0 for XZ plan.

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Vector Plot
• Make symbol size = 0.18, turn off the visibility of plane 1 from display tree. And set the
view to -x by right clicking in graphics window and select view from +z from
predefined camera

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Vector Plot

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Vector Plot
• Normalized vector plot with symbol size = 0.18

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Contour Plot
• Velocity contour plot on center plane

Observe the parabolic velocity profile as expected

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Contour Plot
• Static pressure on wall of cylinder

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Contour Plot at different Axial Locations
• Contour plot on different axial planes.
• Create different axial planes at locations Z = 2, 4 and 6.
• Now plot velocity at these planes + on outlet boundary

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XY Plot – Line creation in CFD-Post
• Create a Line passing through center of pipe through points (0,0,0) and (0,0,8)

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XY Plot – Line creation in CFD-Post

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XY Plot – Chart
• Insert > Chart

OR

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Graph of Axial Velocity along Center Line
• Center line axial velocity variation Fully Developed Flow Regime
• Flow is fully developed at Z = 2
• Fully developed flow is at L/D =
2/0.2 = 10
• Analytically it is L /D = 5 or Z = 1 m

L/D = 2/0.2 = 10

It seems that flow is fully developed at Z= 1.5

approx., but we have taken more conservative
approach to be on safe side. This will ensure that
our analysis are more accurate.

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Change symbol and line colors
• Change properties of line and symbol for velocity
graph
• Also change number of points in line = 10, now
graph/plot is not smooth
• Chart display properties

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Axial Velocity Profile Plot at Outlet
• Create a line at the outlet with coordinates (0,0,8) and (0.1,0,8)

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Axial Velocity Plot at Outlet
• Note max vel ~ 2 m/sec (1.998 m/sec)

• It is twice the average velocity as

expected.

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Pressure Variation along Center Line
Analytical pressure loss/drop
• Analytical pressure drop = 12.8 Pa for full pipe
2
(0-8 m), analytical pressure drop = 9.6 Pa from 𝐿 𝜌𝑉𝑎𝑣𝑔
∆𝑃𝐿 = 𝑓
2 to 8 meters, where flow is fully developed. 𝐷 2
64 8 1× 1 2
⟹ ∆𝑃𝐿 = × × = 12.8 𝑃𝑎
100 0.2 2
• CFD pressure drop = 13.45 Pa for full pipe,
CFD pressure drop = 9.631Pa from the 2 – 8
meters. 13.45 Pascal Fine mesh

13.528−12.8
𝐸𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 = = 5.07 % Full pipe
12.8

9.6 − 9.631
𝐸𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑟 = = 0.32% 𝟐 − 𝟖 𝑴𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 CFD Pressure Gradient 0 Pascal
9.631 ∆𝑃 13.45
=−
∆𝑋 8
= −1.68 𝑃𝑎/𝑚
• Always compare results in fully developed
region. As this provides the true picture
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Pressure Variation along Center Line
• Export pressure plot as picture
• File > Save Picture (Ctrl + P)

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Evaluating Static Pressure at a Plane Z = 2m
• Create axial at Z = 2 m as usual
• Create table from toolbar or from insert menu

Static pressure at plane

(z= 2 m) is 9.631 Pa

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Skin Friction Coefficient
16 𝜏𝑤
• For fully developed pipe flow 𝐶𝑓 = = 0.16 𝐶𝑓 =
𝑅𝑒𝐷
0.5 𝜌 𝑉𝑧 2
• Create a line on the wall of the cylinder with coordinates : (0.1,
0, 0) and (0.1, 0, 8) 𝑉𝑧 = 1 𝑚/𝑠𝑒𝑐 𝜌 = 1 𝐾𝑔/𝑚3
• Create expression for Cf and plot Cf on the line we have just
created

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Skin Friction Coefficient
• From CFD, coefficient of friction, 𝐶𝑓 = 0.1602 ( get data from region of stable Cf)
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• From analytical formula 𝐶𝑓 = = 0.16
100
𝟎.𝟏𝟔𝟎𝟐−𝟎.𝟏𝟔
• Error = = 𝟎. 𝟏𝟐𝟓%
𝟎.𝟏𝟔

𝐶𝐹𝐷, 𝐶𝑓 = 0.1602

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Importing Analytical Velocity Profile in CFD Post
• Importing Analytical Velocity Profile
• Put comma in CSV file, create
column between velocity and
radius column ad insert comma
velocity Profile
(analytical)
0.1
0.09
0.08
0.07
RADISU R, M

Got0.06this by saving velocity profile at radial line at outlet of pipe of fine mesh or any case in
0.05
CFD0.04post, and modify it as per your requirements. For example here I have changed name to
CSV file viewed in notepad.
Analytical
0.03 velocity
Velocity profile.
profile in excel This will be visible when you plot this one in CFD-Post. Append
Data taken from excel file and
0.02
these
0.01
text lines in text file, and append the three fields
Snap shot fromfrom
excel excel in thisheader
file and save
of file as from
is taken CSV
file. Technique
0 to import this file as velocity is given in the next slide… CFD-Post file saved for
-0.5 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 velocity profile for fine mesh
AXIAL VELOCITY, M/SEC

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Comparing Velocity Profile at outlet

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Comparing Velocity Profile at outlet
• CFD fine mesh and analytical
velocity profile comparison
• Also draw velocity profile at Z =
2, 4 and 6 m for the fine mesh
(CFD) and compare it with
analytical velocity profile. It
should not change within the
fully developed flow regime,
because by definition axial
velocity gradient is zero in this
region.
• CFD and analytical results for
velocity profiles are agreeing
well with each other.
• Do it for all meshes (see end of
presentation)

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